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October 9, 2016

Already? The RV Trip Is More Than Half Over!

We can't believe it: Betty, Bailey, and I are more than halfway through our seven week RV trip. Over 3,000 miles and twelve states have already passed beneath the wheels. I have visited with my brothers for the first time in several years. Betty and I spent part of a day with a good friend we hadn't seen in 40 years. He and his wife happen to own a vacation home within a dozen miles of one of our campgrounds and were thrilled to make this long-delayed get-together happen. When we met it was as if we had only been apart for a week, not 40 years.After looking at the map, Betty has convinced me to reroute our return so that we spend enough time in all of the states of the Deep South to add them to the map on the motorhome's side. Of course, that sets up an idea for another major trip, most likely in the summer of 2018: the mid Atlantic and New England states. When that jaunt is completed, we will have visited all of the lower 48 states in the RV, probably the perfect time retire from long distance driving. You can assume that we seem to have decided to keep RVing for the next few years. The time away from our normal routine and being together for an extended period is so very special to us. The memories are worth any of the hassles along the way. So are the photos. Here is a sampling:

Beautiful park on the outskirts of Oklahoma City

The Bricktown District in OKC...a canal lined with shops and restaurants

Powerful and sobering: 168 empty chairs representing those killed in 1995 in the OKC bombing

Absolutely a must see Museum

A beautiful night for baseball in Kansas City

My nephews and brother watching the Royals win

Kansas City area has some fabulous parks and arboretums

Also, some places to get silly!

A nice place to spend the night in Columbia, Mo.

Travel can plain wear you out!

Pretty setting in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Area around Cape Girardeau was beautiful

Cumberland Falls near Corbin, KY

The rainbow was visible all morning

The Colonel Sanders Museum..finger-licking good

Betty suggesting a new menu item to the Colonel

Fishing pond just down hill from camp site

Countryside around Corbin

With several more states to visit and a little over 3 weeks to go we are loving every minute of this trip. I have gotten to less than half of the projects I thought I would work on this trip...and could care less. Each day has its own rhythm. We accomplish what we want, when we want. Isn't that the way it should be? Late note: a side mirror broke two days ago. We did some emergency repairs that we hope will last until we get home, but driving without a side view mirror on an RV is not an option! Also, the air conditioner is causing some problems. With temperatures still in the upper 80's, that may mean setting up some fans and praying for a cold front. These are our first major problems in the 4+ years we have been RVing, so we can't really complain.

15 comments:

Hi Bob, it looks like you and Betty are having a great time! My wife Susan and I are looking forward to beginning our own RV'ing adventure when I retire in Several years. We live on the East Coast and look forward to visiting west of the Mississippi and seeing more of this beautiful country and Canada. I see that you tow your car behind your RV which makes perfect sense (a toad), do you use a 2-wheel dolly or do you tow it four wheels down? You are an inspiration to me, and I hope that our retirement adventure in life is nearly as good as yours and Betty's has been so far!

Successful RVING requires compromise, adjusting on the fly, and realizing it is all about the journey and not the destination.

I tow 4 wheels down. It is much easier in an RV park since a dolly takes up the room normally available for the car. Most manual transmissions can be towed 4 down and a few older automatics, without expensive alterations. It takes me less than 5 minutes to hook or unhook.

There is so much to see on a road trip. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it all.Go for it!

You guys are having a great time, Bob. And I think you hit the nail on the head as to why your RV travels continue in importance, namely varying up the normal routine.

We start our first of seven scheduled weeks on the road next Saturday, the first five in North Myrtle Beach, and the last two at Edisto Beach. North MB should be fine, but Edisto has much fewer resources and people, so they will be struggling for awhile. This trip was booked well in advance, obviously not spur of the moment. We'll be home for four weeks, and then back out for ten. Hopefully that is varying up the routine enough for a little while, at least until later in 2017.

As for the side mirror - duct tape it! As for the AC - I am sure you can duct tape something there! :) Continued safe travels.

Bob Lowry is the author of the definitive retirement guides: Living A Satisfying Retirement and Building A Satisfying Retirement.Bob has been profiled in Money Magazine & CNN Money as well as Ad Age Insight White Papers. He is a featured author in nationally released book, "65 Things To Do When You Retire," "65 Things To Do When You Retire - Travel," and "70 Things To Do When You Turn 70," as well as an original contributor to PBS's Next Avenue web site.